


The Cipher Hybridization Project - Chapter One: That One Time I Turned Into a Pokemon

by Lokoman82delta



Series: The Cipher Hybridization Project [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Collab, Lycanroc - Freeform, Midnight, Pokemon, Transformation, open - Freeform, universe - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:48:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23088814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokoman82delta/pseuds/Lokoman82delta
Summary: Upon starting a new journey in the Kalos region, young trainer Emily Matthews attempts to catch a new Pokemon to help start her team off. However, not all is as it seems- a dark conspiracy is lurking in the shadows, one that threatens to change the lives of Emily, her future friends, and the the entire Pokemon World!This story is the start of a shared universe based on a roleplay I had in a Discord server not long ago! All stories posted here on AO3 will be simultaneously posted on DeviantArt, in the group's gallery. I hope you'll all consider checking out those stories as well!DeviantArt Group: https://www.deviantart.com/lokoman-82-delta/art/The-Cipher-Hybridization-Project-Chapter-One-833229212
Series: The Cipher Hybridization Project [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659475
Kudos: 4





	The Cipher Hybridization Project - Chapter One: That One Time I Turned Into a Pokemon

_ Research Log 80319: The final functioning prototype of the Cipher Hybridization Device was completed today at 13:52. After being tested successfully on various volunteer subjects, it has been determined that the Device is now ready to enter its final stage of testing. Blueprints and a sample have been sent to Cipher Facility 12120. Associates have been dispatched to acquire more test subjects. In-house testing should be finished by the end of the week, and public testing by the end of the month. _

Interview 1- Emily Matthews

_ Note: For the sake of simplification, Detective Aaron Stires will here be abbreviated to "Det," and all interviewees will have their name shortened to their initials. _

Det: "Mrs. Matthews, thank you for coming. I understand that this event has been rather traumatic for you, and I sincerely appreciate you coming to recount it for me. With your help, we can ensure that Dr. Mercer stays behind bars for as long as possible. Also, allow me to express my most heartfelt condolences on your condition. Will you require a translator, or...?"

EM: "That won't be necessary. I've been like this long enough to have fig... Er, sorry- Figured most speech out just fine. I still strug... Struggle with certain sounds though."

Det: "That is perfectly understandable. Now, tell me, when was the first encounter you had with the Cipher Hybridization Device? And how did you come into contact with it?"

EM: "Hybridization Device? Do you mean those Ciiii... Cipher Balls?"

Det: "Yes, I believe that's what you referred to them as. The research notes we confiscated dubbed them Hybridization Devices, but you can call them whatever you like. We both know what you're referring to."

EM: "Oh, okay then. Well, I suppose it was about two wee... Weeks ago? As for how I got it, well..."

I had just arrived in Kalos at the time, more specifically in Couriway town via the railroad there, and was setting my sights on entering the Kalos League. It was supposed to begin in a couple of weeks, so I’d booked myself a room in the Hotel Couriway for one of those weeks and intended to just explore and put together a new team before setting out to Lumiose for the League registration once it opened. I’d finished a run in the Kanto league not long before that- got fifth place, actually, so that was nice- but I wanted to put together a new team from scratch. All of my other Pokemon are back home in Kalos with my brother right now. One of the local professors had gifted me a Fennekin he’d bred once he heard (which I’m still super grateful for), so I had something to get me started and help me catch some more Pokemon. 

Upon stepping off the train, I immediately grabbed the new Pokeball off my belt excitedly, and sat down once more on a bench in the train station. I wanted to share my first experiences in the region with my brand new Pokemon. I set the ball on the ground in front of me and pressed the open button, and watched as the Pokeball’s locks clicked and hissed, releasing a blinding flash of white light, which materialized into a small fox-like Pokemon with rather large ears, tan fur, and the most adorable expression I’d ever seen. The little Fennekin looked up to me with an expression of wonder, then curiosity, as she walked up and sniffed my outstretched hand, letting out an excited “ _ kin _ !”

“Hi there, cutie!” I said with a giggle, reaching down and scratching the little vixen behind the ears, which judging by the way she leaned into it she greatly appreciated. “My name is Emily. The professor gave you to me so I could train you!”

The Fennekin looked up at me with another curious expression, tilting her head as if to ask  _ You want to train  _ _ me? _ To which I nodded excitedly. The fox leapt up into my arms, tail wagging excitedly, as she let out various cries of joy. “ _ Fen! Fennekin! _ ”

I laughed as I held the vixen close, stroking her fur affectionately, which helped her to calm down a bit. “Hmm… But what to call you?” I pondered it for a moment, picking up her Pokeball and storing it away on my bet strap once more. “You’re a fire type, but calling you ‘Blaze’ or ‘Ash’ or something would be cliche… Then again, since when did I care about being cliche? I had a Squirtle named Aqua for the longest time back in Kanto!” I chuckled a bit. “I think I’ll call you… Cinder! How do you like that?” The Fennekin nodded excitedly, curling into my arms before sneezing, a fiery ember shooting out of her mouth as she did, which only brought a smile to my face. “Cinder it is then.” And with that, the two of us stepped out of the train station, and out into Couriway Town.

The scenery was nothing short of gorgeous- a city surrounded by lakes and cliffs, with waterfalls breaking the barriers between the two. On the few small areas where land arose from the waters, houses and buildings rose atop them, bridges sprawling between the little islands. It was…

“Beautiful…” I muttered. Cinder seemed to be having a similar reaction, which was a bit odd considering the fact that there was so much water around, and she was a fire-type. But where to go first…? Of course, she could go and check into the hotel, or see if she could find a small battleground for later reference, but no. The first thing she wanted to do was get some more teammates to join their cause. She was fresh out of Pokeballs, though, so she’d probably have to stop by the Mart in the Pokemon Center to buy some more… Which meant interacting with other humans. The thought brought my mood down, just a little. Around Pokemon, I was perfectly sociable, always the bright and cheery type! But with other people, my social skills were practically nonexistent.

Swallowing my fear, I eventually made my way to the Pokemon Center, setting Cinder down so that I could properly browse my options. Glancing over the shelves in the Pokemart, I perused my options. Of course, there were the standard Pokeballs, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls (I would need to get some of those regardless of what else I got), but there were also more specialized types like Luxury Balls, Net Balls, and Repeat Balls… I had quite a bit of money from my reward for placing fifth in the Kanto league, so I didn’t really need to be thrifty at the moment- I was sure I’d use all of them eventually, anyways. I eventually grabbed a small number of each of the specialized balls and a decent amount of Ultra Balls, throwing them into my shopping basket and heading for the checkout. But as I reached the lane…

“Heeeey, if it isn’t Mrs. Em herself!” A voice called out. I turned around to find its owner, a wide smile crossing my face as I saw him. That tall boy with the blonde hair and blue eyes could only be one person-My self-proclaimed rival from back in Kanto.  
“O-oh… Hey, Mark…” I replied, not meeting his eyes. It isn’t that I wasn’t happy to see him… More that I hadn’t exactly been prepared to involve myself socially at the moment- it had taken all the courage I had to even walk into the store with the intent to buy something, much less see an old rival like this. We hadn’t exactly been friends… But we were on good terms. He clearly enjoyed being around me, though he was a bit headstrong, and that got to me on more than one occasion.

“Oh, drop the ‘lonesome me’ act, already!” He exclaimed, coming up to me and looking down with a friendly smile, which caused her to quirm shyly. “I know you’re happy to see me. What are you doing all the way over here? I thought you lived back in Kanto!”

“I, uh… Entered m-myself in the Kalos league?” I stammered quitely, wishing he would just leave me alone… I just wanted to get through this line and leave, catch some new Pokemon and be with them. Pokemon didn’t judge people, after all. They just loved them for who they were. Thankfully, the person in front of me had  _ just _ finished checking out, and so I was able to move forward and check out myself. Before doing so, I made one last comment. “I’ll t-talk to you later, okay Mark? The boy seemed a little bit disheartened to see me go, but it was clear that I didn’t want to be around him right now.

“Yeah, okay…” He said, his voice noticeably less peppy than it had been earlier. “I’ll see you around, then.” And with that, he continued solemnly browsing the shelves for… Whatever it was that he had been looking for. Great. Now I felt guilty. This was _exactly_ why I hated being around other people. I sighed, proceeding to check out, and then made sure Cinder was in tow before leaving the Center altogether. The little fox pawed at my leg with a soft _“Fen?_ ” Her expression was one of concern, rather adorable coming from a little ‘mon such as herself. I smiled slightly and, after slinging my bag containing my purchases over my shoulder, scooped the Fennekin up into my arms.  
“Thanks, Cinder. I’m fine.” I assured her, scratching behind her ears, which caused her to close her eyes gleefully, and she leaned into it. I followed the road signs and eventually found myself walking into my intended destination: Route 18. I had managed to look up the sorts of Pokemon I’d be able to find on this particular route, and though it seemed that most were Fire and Rock types, there were a couple of Steel types like the Aaron line and Durant that Cinder would have a type advantage against (Well, at least the Durant). If I got lucky, maybe I’d be able to catch one of them! And so, I began to keep my eyes out, searching every nook and cranny for some sign of a Pokemon.After searching for about an hour, my search seemed to be turning up fruitless, and I sighed, sitting down on a nearby boulder with Cinder at my side.

“Looks like we aren’t gonna be getting a new friend today,” I told the little fox, stroking her head sadly. “Sorry, girl.” But as I looked solemnly upward, I eventually saw something off in the distance… A pair of glowing red eyes, watching me from deep within the forest. My own eyes widened at the sight, and I slowly stood, causing the creature to retreat. That didn’t look like  _ any _ Pokemon that was supposed to live around here! “C’mon, Cinder!” I call out as I begin to pursue it. My Fennekin yips excitedly and closely follows as I chase.

I don’t know exactly how long it took to catch up to the strange Pokemon. It could have been mere minutes, it could have been hours. But eventually, we did just that, cornering it up against a cliffside, which finally allowed me to get a good look at it. That blood-red fur, those piercing eyes, and that hunched, canine posture… What was a Lycanroc doing all the way over here in Kalos? They were only native to Alola and a couple of islands in Galar! Perhaps it’s trainer had released it here?

“Hey…” I cooed softly, kneeling down and attempting to soothe the panicked wolf. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna hurt you. Are you… All alone out here?” However, the wolf took the moment I’d let my guard down to attempt to flee once more. I  _ couldn’t _ let such a powerful Pokemon get away! Plus, it looked like it was hurting… I couldn’t bear to just leave it out here to fend for itself! In a moment of desperation, I reached into my bag and flung one of my Pokeballs at it, which somehow managed to hit the mark! However, rather than dissolving the Lycanroc into white light and sucking it into the Pokeball, it only bounced off the side of it’s head. The wolf growled angrily at me, disappearing into the shadows of the forest as it fled.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered, mortified. Of course, the one chance I had to catch an intensely powerful Pokemon, the Pokeball turns out to be a dud. I sigh defeatedly, heading over to pick the ball up. However, Cinder looks at the ball with a nervous expression, sniffing at the air as if she could smell something… Dangerous.

“What?” I ask her, smiling a bit. I reach down to grab the ball, continuing my thought as I do. “It’s just a Pokeball. Nothing to be- Ouch!” As soon as I laid my hand on the device, something like an electric shock shoots through my veins, and I rapidly pulled my hand back.

“Ack! What the…?” I stammer, looking at points of my fingers that had touched the Pokeball. Stupid defective Pokeball couldn’t even contain its own electricity! Hopefully the rest of them weren’t like this. Cinder whimpers softly, looking at me with an expression that almost seemed like.. Pity?  
“I’m fine, silly,” I assure her, lifting her up into my arms once again. “Maybe I should listen to you next time!” The little Fennekin still seems _very_ worried, however. Something about that whole situation with the Pokeball had bothered her greatly. How strange… I didn’t have much time to worry about it, though. The sun was beginning to set, after all. I needed to get back to town and check in to the hotel before it got too dark out. And so, I began to find my way back to the main path of the Route, walking back to Couriway Town.

Part of the way through the trip, though, something began to feel… Off. A feeling that was on the border of nauseous, my muscles beginning to feel sore. Cinder had been whimpering most of the way back to town, but as we walked the sound began to “morph” in a way. I can’t tell you exactly how, or when, but at some point I suddenly realized I could make out the meaning of her whimpering.

“Not again, not again, not again…” She repeated, burying her her muzzle in her paws. As soon as I realized I could understand her, I nearly dropped Cinder from the shock of it. Instead, I quickly set her down and backed away, fearful.

“T-talking…” I managed through my terror. “Talking Pokemon. W-why… How are you talking?” Cinder’s eyes went wide as she realized I could understand her, undoubtedly a similar reaction coursing through her mind.

“Oh, Arceus no… No, it’s really happening again…” She began to sob softly, not looking me in the eye.

“What’s happening again?” I demanded, my muscles growing increasingly sore with each passing second, an intense, painful pressure building at the base of my spine. I wasn’t able to concern myself with it until the pain became too much to bear. Reaching back to adjust the waist of my pants and alleviate the pain, I find-

_ What- _

_ What the hell?! _

It- This  _ thing _ … It couldn’t be real! And yet, I could feel it, without a doubt! Worst of all, not only could I feel it with my hands, but I could feel my  _ hands _ touching  _ it _ . As if it were a part of me.

“It’s all my fault!” Cinder sobs. “They became a Pokemon because of me! And n-now… You’re becoming one too.” As I looked back at my tail- for that’s very clearly what it was- It  _ did _ look somewhat familiar, but I couldn’t place exactly what species it was from.

“Wait, wait, wait,” I stammered, holding my hands up and instinctively starting to whimper. “What do you mean ‘again?’” But just as I finish my question, I can only watch in horror as my nose and mouth extend outward in front of my face, becoming a canid muzzle! My teeth sharpened to dagger-like points within my newly formed mouth. The skin on my nose became dark and wet, and suddenly I could smell  _ everything. _ My own tears, the trail and scent of that Lycanroc that had just fled, my bag, the trees... As I was momentarily distracted by my new sense of smell, the muscle that was my tongue suddenly flopped out of my mouth, extending and becoming rather dog-like. Any pores in my body suddenly dried up, denying any sweat that tried to escape, and so I had no choice but to pant if I had any hope of cooling myself off from this intense, burning heat the transformation was causing.

“Th-they touched a Pokeball to me, and then to this boy, and, and, he grew a tail, and his ears looked just like mine, and then boom! He was a Fennekin! And they did it over and over and over with so many people and then they gave me away…” Cinder’s eyes were wide with a mixture of terror and guilt- She could hardly think straight, much less speak in a way that was easily understood. Thankfully, I was able to get the gist of it before my own transformation retook my focus, with white fur growing on my new tail, and spreading up my back, and out of sight. But eventually, it wrapped around to my chest, as well, having changed to a maroon color on my sides, while returning to the white on my stomach. My mind swirled, trying to discern exactly what it was that I was becoming, but as soon as I thought I’d come to my answer, the transformation confirmed it, as an invisible force sort of…  _ Pushed _ my spine and bent it permanently, giving me a hunched back.

“I… I’m becoming a Lycanroc!” I exclaimed, both intrigued and petrified with fear. However, I quickly realized that my voice wasn’t exactly… well, “mine” anymore. It sounded more like a series of growls and canine barking, but somehow the meaning would still get across- to anyone who could understand me, that is. Had my vocal chords changed, too? My body began to shrink, ever so slightly, causing my shirt to seem rather large and baggy, and my pants to become so loose they fell right off. The fur shot down my legs, and upon reaching my feet it began to change their structure; my heels lifted up, and the balls of my feet became much stronger, now supporting the weight of my entire body. The new digitigrade structure of my legs seemed much more fitting for the species I was becoming, and that, in combination with the fact that my toenails were now lengthening and sharpening into deadly claws, terrified me. “Th-this can’t be happening to me…” I begin to whimper softly, my stance becoming shaky as I find it harder to stand, both thanks to the changed structure of my legs and the intense fear that pulsed through my mind.

“I’m so sorry…” Cinder sniffled, padding up to my side and nuzzling my legs. With my now much shorter body, it was disorienting to find myself so close to the ground, and the much smaller Pokemon.

“N-no, this isn’t your fault!” I stammer, watching as the fur spreads slowly down my arms, eventually reaching my hands. Thick paw pads began to grow on them as my thumb and pinky began to retract back into my hands. In exchange, my three remaining fingers grew much thicker and shorter, making my hand appear much more like a paw. My fingernails became claws, much like my toenails, and the transformation was almost complete. My hair suddenly thickened and turned a stunning shade of white, my bangs growing out and hanging down in front of my eyes. My ears grew out to triangular points, becoming so long that they flopped over and folded themselves, yet somehow I could hear much better than I had as a human regardless. Finally, my eyes stung for a moment, and though I couldn’t see it, they became the same piercing shade of red that the Lycanroc from earlier had donned. And then… It was finished. I was completely, physically a Midnight Lycanroc. The process had been so disorienting… I could barely think straight anymore. I tried to take a step forward, and then only landed on my face. My eyelids began to droop, but just before I passed out I could barely make out the form of…  _ Something _ approaching. But I lost consciousness before I could tell what it was.


End file.
